Dish conveying machine



J. wQcARL DISH CONVEYING MACHINE Feb. 13,1951

3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 24,11947 Inl- . INVENTOR. JoHN w. CARL.

Attorneys Feb. 13, 1951 J. W. CARL DISH CONVEYING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 24, 1947 INVENToR. A.JOL-1N W. CARL BY lo/mw www Attorneys Feb. 13, 1951 J. w. CARL DISH CONVEYING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed March 24, 1947 INVENToR. .JOHN W. CARL BY *Pla/ama. w WAM Patented Feb. 13, 1951 UNITED STATES eATENT OFFICE 6 Claims.

This invention relates to a conveyor suitable for conveying soiled dishes to a spillway or deck which may be adjacent a dishwashing machine.

An object of the invention is to provide a conveyor which is of such construction that it may be readily installed behind a counter on which meals are adapted to be served, enabling a waitress to easily remove dishes and eating untensils from the counter and to deposit them on the conveyor behind the counter to =be conveyed thereby to a point adjacent the location where the dishes are to be washed. To this end the conveyor consists essentially of an endless belt suitably driven and on which the soiled dishes are positioned. A more specic object of the invention is to provide a means for supporting the upper reach of the endless belt in such a manner that it will convey relatively heavy loads such as may be occasioned by a stack of soiled dishes and in such a manner that elongated articles such as glasses will not be tipped or caused to fall over as they are conveyed which would be apt to result in breakage.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a conveyor for soiled dishes as above described wherein the upper reach of the endless belt is supported by an underlying deck which is constantly fed with a small supply of water that,

in effect, is filmed between the conveyor belt and.

the deck to thus provide a form of lubricant enabling the belt to readily slide over the deck in the course of its movement under load.

Another object of the invention is to provide a, conveyor for soiled dishes and the like consisting of an endless belt that is suitably driven and wherein rotary cleaners, such as rotary brushes, are caused to engage both the upper and under sides of the belt so as to constantly clean the belt of material that tends to adhere thereto and wherein the belt is conducted through a sterilizing medium to sterilize it during each cycle of operation.

Another object of the invention is to provide a conveyor for soiled dishes which can be easily and economically constructed and which has rollers or other rotary parts so mounted as to enable them to be easily removed from the machine for inspection, repair, or replacement.

Another object of the invention is to provide a conveyor for soiled dishes, as above described, consisting of an endless belt that is suitably driven and which is so constructed that at any time the belt can be raised to allow for easy access to the underlying deck for cleaning, either by flushing or scrubbing, so as to pass the health and safety laws of any State.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, i

which will be made manifest in the following detailed description and specifically pointed out in the appended claims, reference is had to the accompanying drawings for an illustrative embodiment of the invention, wherein:

Figure 1 is a View in side elevation, parts be ing broken away, illustrating essential elements of the conveyor embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken substantially upon the line 3-3 upon Fig. l; and

Fig. 4 is a partial view in side elevation illustrating a detail of construction.

Referring to the accompanying drawings wherein similar reference characters designate similar parts throughout, the improved conveyor consists essentially of an endless belt I0 which is trained over a relatively large drive roller II and over idler rollers I2, I3, I4 and I5. The drive roller II has a sprocket I6 rigid therewith over which an endless drive chain I'I is trained. This drive chain, in turn, is driven by a sprocket I8 on the output shaft of a gear box I9 that is driven such as by an electric motor 20 so that as the drive roller II is driven the belt I0 is caused to progress about the various idler rollers through a path as indicated on Fig. 1. The upper reach of the endless belt that extends between the top of the idler roller I5 and the top of the drive roller II provides a supporting surface on which soiled dishes, glasses, cups, eating utensils and the like, may be positioned to be carried thereby onto a drive roller door 2| and onto a laterally sloping spillway or receiving deck indicated at 22 which slopes downwardly toward the edge 23 which may be located adjacent a dish-washing machine or other apparatus where these articles are adapted to be washed. The length of the conveyor is indenite and may extend the complete length behind a serving counter and as the means of installation will vary with dilerent designs of serving counters, the supports for the conveyor other than the legs 24 have not rbeen illustrated.

As a means for supporting the upper reach of the endless belt I0 between the idler roller I5 and the drive roller Il, a supporting deck 25 is positioned therebeneath. This supporting deck consists of a suitable section of sheet metal that extends the complete width of the belt and, as illustrated in Fig. 3, it is preferably transversely troughed or dished. This deck may be integral with and be provided by the bottom of a trough, the sides of which are indicated at 26. The forward end of the deck 25 is so formed as to provide a transversely extending groove 21 which is designed to hold a small amount of water that is continuously fed slowly through a supply pipe or tube 28. In the course of movement of the belt Ill the belt on passing over the lled trough 21 will have its under surface coated with a film of water which is carried by the belt and spread over the upper surface of the deck 25, thus providing'a water lm which acts as a lubricant between the belt and the deck reducing friction between these parts so that the belt may readily: slide on the deck even though heavily loaded with dishes. The deck 25 extends to a point a short distance forwardly of thedrive rollerA LL In the space between the drive roller Il and the rear end of the deck 25 there is disposed: a rotary brush 29 having a sprocket rigid therewith which isr driven by a brush driving chain 3D. This brush driving chain. istrained over an idler sprocket 3d andA over a sprocket on al. second rotary brush 32 that is arranged beneath the drive roller Il. The brush driving chain 3Q isv driven off of. a second sprocket on the output shaftof the gear box Il?.v and when driven the brushes 29 and 30 are rotated to clean not only the upper or exterior surface of the belt Iii but the under or interior surface of this belt. Consequently, any material.' that may spill from the soiled dishesonto thel upper surface of the belt will be cleaned' therefrom by the rotary brush 32 and if this material should work its way between the belt and the supporting deck 25 it will be cleaned from the under side of the beltby the rotary brush 23; As a means for sterilizing the belt in the course of its movement, the idler' roller I3 is disposed in a tank 33. and is inthev form of a heavy weight or a weighted roller with trunnions 34S that. are vertically slidable between guides 3-5 provided on the walls ofthe tank. The belt, on passing over this roller, is caused to submerge or dip into a sterilizi'ng or antiseptic solution. For this purpose a solution of sodium: bi-

carbonate may be employed which tends to keep.

thebelt sweet at all times. The weight of the roller I 3I causes it to also function as a takeupv roller, taking up slack in the belt.

As the belt passes around the roller* i3 and` moves up to the idler roller M it passes between` two squeezing or wringing rollers 38 and 31. The roller 3T is urged toward the roller tsuchv as by springs 33- so that any solution in the tankv 33 which is carried with the belt upwardly is squeezed or wrung therefrom by the rollers 36- and 3l and may drop back into the tank 33;

As the belt between the rear end of the deck 215'. and the top ofthedrive roller l! is unsupported except for the rotary brush 29 there is. danger of small articles such as eatingv utensils slipping between the edges of the belt and the walls 25 of the trough in this locality. Toover-- come this a collecting trough 39 is supported beneath this portion of the belt and this collecting trough isprovided with downwardly extending spouts 036 that straddle the lower portion of the belt and discharge into a container dit. This-'container preferably has a perforated bottom en-` abling liquids to drain therethrough but it will retain these various articles that may slip off' of the belt in this locality and which are discharged through' the spoutsd0. These may be` retrieved fromvthe-container 5i from time to time.

The'fd'oor 2l hase; connection 42iWith-'the body ,in circuit with the electric motor 20.

of the spillway or deck 22 that will enable it to swing down by gravity into engagement with the top of the belt as it passes around the drive roller Il. This door is intended to, in effect, peel or scrape the articles on the belt therefrom as the belt passes around the drive roller and to cause the dishes and other articles to slide from the belt onto the inclined deck or spillway`22. It may be, however, that a fork, for example, may be positioned o n the belt in an. inverted position and that the tines of the fork may enter between the edge of the door 2l and the belt causing the door 2|' to lift slightly. To overcome this a microswitch 433isV located beneath the door and is placed This switch will break the circuit through the motor, stopping; the,y operation of the conveyor whenever the door 2! is lifted. The offending fork or similar article may then be removed from between the belt and the door and, on allowing the door Zt' to return toits normali position, the cir- `cuit through the motor is again closed and op- .todischarge all material that is brushed olf! of the belt byY the brush` 32 intothe container ci. Beneath the container il there will normally be installedl an outlet to a` sewer or similar drain.

Rollers 45 are merely supporting rollers mounted beneath the lower reach of the belt and-'serving to support it between` the idler rollers IA and i5; In thepreferred form of construction`l each of the rollers i2, I and d5, as well asthe rotary brushes Eiland 32, have shafts extending therethrough that are mounted on vertical walls' of the frame of the machine. These shafts, one of which is indicated atl d'6 (see-Figs. 3 and 1i) have slots 4"!" milled' therein. Keepers 48 are mounted on the frame and are retainedL thereon by' means ofwingnuts dlonstuds or bolts 5t. These keepers, when they occupy the full line position shown in Fig. 4, extend into theY slots M' on the shafts and retain the shafts in proper posi-tion.

therewith canY be removed by sliding it enclwise" out of the-frame. In this manner any roller or rotary brush may' beu easily andY quickly removed` for purposes of inspection, repair,v or replacement.

FromL the abover described construction it will be appreciated that arelatively simple conveyor has been provided which is highly suitable for convey-ing*` dirtyk dishes and the like. This conveyor is so designed as to enable it` to be installed behinda serving counter so'V that dirty dishes can beremoved from the counter, positioned onV` the belt, andY carriedl thereby tov the spillway 212Y in thel neighborhood ofY the dish-washing machine. Provision is made for'cleaning both sides of the belt continuously during each cycle' of opera-tion and forV steriliz-ingthe belt to keepV it sweet and clean.

Variousl changes maybe made in the details of` construction withoutl departing from* the spirit and scope of theinvention as defined by the appendedclaims;

I cla-im? 1'.A conveyor for dishesr and the like comprising anendlless belt', means for dri-ving the beltV including adrivingA drumA around which the belt passes-to be driven thereby, means for supporting the upper reach of the belt so that dishes and the like can be placed thereon and carried thereby, the supporting means stopping short of the driving drum providing a space therebetween, means on the under side of the upper reach of the belt located in the space between the supporting means and the driving drum for cleaning the under side of the belt before it reaches the driving drum, means on the outside of the lower reach of the belt located opposite the bottom of the driving drum for cleaning the outside of the belt, and means located adjacent the end of the supporting means opposite the driving drum for feeding a liquid between the belt and said supporting means as the belt passes thereover.

2. A conveyor for dishes and the like comprising an endless belt, means for driving the belt including a driving drum around which the belt passes to be driven thereby, means for supporting the upper reach of the belt so that dishes and the like can be placed thereon and carried thereby, the supporting means stopping short of the driving drum providing a space therebetween, means on the under side of the upper reach of the belt located in the space between the supporting means and the driving drum for cleaning the under side of the belt before it reaches the driving drum, means on the outside of the lower reach of the belt located opposite the bottom of the driving drum for cleaning the outside of the belt, means located adjacent the end of the supporting means opposite the driving drum for feeding a liquid between the belt and said supporting means as the belt passes thereover, and means for taking up slack in the belt.

3. A conveyor for dishes and the like comprising an endless belt, means for driving the belt including a driving drum around which the belt passes to be driven thereby, means for supporting the upper reach of the belt so that dishes and the like can be placed thereon and carried thereby, the supporting means terminating short of the driving drum providing a space therebetween, means on the under side of the upper reach of the belt located in the space between the supporting means and the driving drum for cleaning the under side of the belt before it reaches the driving drum, means disposed adjacent the drum and the upper reach of the belt for receiving dishes from the upper reach of the belt, and means for cleaning the outside of thev belt after the belt passes the last-named means.

4. A conveyor for dishes and the like comprising an endless belt, means for driving the belt including a driving drum around which the belt passes to be driven thereby, means for supporting the upper reach of the belt so that dishes and the like can be placed thereon and carried thereby, the supporting means terminating short of the driving drum providing a space therebetween, means on the under side of the upper reach of the belt located in the space between the supporting means and the driving drum for cleaning the under side of the belt before it reaches the driving drum, means disposed adjacent the drum and the upper reach of the belt for receiving dishes from the upper reach of the belt, means for cleaning the outside of the belt after the belt passes the last-named means, and

means located adjacent the end of the supporting means remote from the drum for feeding a liquid tween, means on the under side of the upper reach of the belt located in the space between the supporting means and the driving drum for cleaning the under side of the belt before it reaches the driving drum, means disposed adjacent the drum and the upper reach of the belt for receiving dishes from the upper reach of the belt, means for cleaning the outside of the belt after the belt passes the last-named means, a. container, and hopper means disposed above the container and at the sides of the portion of the upper reach of the belt between the end of the supporting means and the drum for directing articles falling oi the belt in the container below the hopper.

6. A conveyor for dishes and the like comprising an endless belt, means for driving the belt including a driving drum around which the belt passes to be driven thereby, a support under the Aupper reach of the belt so that dishes and the like can be placed on the upper reach of the belt and carried thereby, there being upstanding Walls at the sides of the support, the support terminating short of the driving drum to pro- Avide a space between the drum and the support, `the walls of the support continuing alongside the upper reach of the belt, a rotary brush on the under side of the upper reach of the belt and located in the space between the support and the drum for cleaning the under side of the belt before it reaches the drum, a dish-receiving member disposed adjacent the upper reach of the belt and adjacent the drum for receiving dishes from the upper reach of the belt, a rotary brush arranged to engage the outside of the belt after it passes the dish-receiving member for cleaning the outside of the belt, and means for driving the brushes.

JOHN W. CARL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the` le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 729,512 Sejnoha May 26, 1903 1,255,977 Bemis Feb. 12, 1918 1,728,664 Comstock Sept. 17, 1929 1,824,858 Williams Sept. 29, 1931 1,993,109 Merritt Mar. 5, 1935 2,018,648 Dinley Oct. 22, 1935 I 2,066,206 Laurie Dec. 29, 1936 l; 2,083,864 Puckett June 15, 1937 2,390,007 Sherman Nov. 27, 1945 

